www.teresarego.co.uk
Interview: Joana Jervell
The illustrator Teresa Rego, born in Porto, likes to occupy her time exploring different media, surprising us with silk-screen illustrations, collages, textile prints and tapestries. Alternating between geometric and organic forms, her vibrant compositions, splashed with colour, do not go unnoticed. The studio-store (also workshop space), which opened in the city centre, is the best calling card if you want to discover her vast and joyful universe, where there is definitely no place for monotony.
You studied architecture, but do you still consider yourself an architect?
Although I don’t practice, much of what I learned in architecture is present in my work process, from scale and forms to my own language and way of seeing the world. Much of what I do would be different if I hadn’t gone through that phase. Illustration is, without a doubt, the top of the pyramid, and I dedicate myself to it entirely.
Where does this passion for illustration come from?
I’ve always liked arts, especially painting. I was already doing several jobs that involved drawing, murals, exhibitions, art markets before going to London. However, everything seemed too reductive, I didn’t want to just take a sheet of paper or a canvas and paint, I wanted to see my work on billboards, clothing brands, shop windows, packaging. I discovered that it was possible, and that it was called illustration. The idea of illustration in Portugal is still very much subjugated to the illustration of books and publications, which is very limiting. Illustration is a world and can be present in an infinite number of projects.
Speaking of London, what did you take away most from the experience and the MA in Illustration you did?
London showed me that there are far better things in front of us than those we leave behind. The good conditions and tools that exist in the different departments and artistic workshops, the teachers with different visions and proven experience in the job market, the colleagues that came from the four corners of the world… It was an immense learning experience. Of course, not everything is rosy, but I would do it all again. I think the most valuable thing I’ve learned is to look at illustration as a way of life and as a business, not just a hobby of someone who wants to have fun and do some drawings… That’s not enough. In Portugal (and not only there, unfortunately) there is this romanticized idea of the artist who draws some pictures for pleasure, for love of art. It is up to the illustrators to decide if they want to perpetuate this idea or act, trying to educate the client. It is in our hands to try to do that.
What is the idea behind this studio-store?
It is a space of colour and happiness. Having a studio has always been something I really wanted, and as I work a lot with manual techniques having a space was imperative. Finding that space in the centre of Porto with a shop window on the street was even better.
I started receiving messages from clients who wanted to see my work in person, which is understandable since I work in several media. Even today, people prefer to come to my studio when they are undecided about a piece, and when they get here they end up even more undecided, because the offer is so broad.
Does being located in the Parnaso building, by architect Carlos Loureiro, have another meaning?
Curiously, this building is in line with the philosophy of the city, which I researched for my master’s degree, the relationship between nature and the built space. And yes, a historic building in the city centre with a private garden has another kind of charm.
What will visitors find here?
There is no shortage of options. From prints, ranging from A4 to A0, to silkscreens, unique collages, bags, tote bags and decorative wooden pieces. More recently, I launched a new product that I’d been working on for months: lamps, made entirely in Portugal, which can be bought complete or just the lampshade, in organic cotton.
What is the ideal working environment?
I like working alone and with space for the project to evolve around me. When I start something new everything has to be organized and in the right place, then chaos will ensue as it unfolds, but that’s how ideas start to make sense. I usually alternate more manual projects with computer work, jumping from job to job so that each time I return I may have a new perspective.
What media and techniques do you work with the most?
Collage with cut-outs and textures has become my ritual, both for client projects and for personal work. Working with my hands loosens up my brain and the ideas flow more naturally, without limitations or constraints. From time to time I use silk-screen printing for new editions and personal projects. Some illustrations end up having some digital treatment, even if it’s just for the dimensioning or organisation of the forms.
Colour is a key element of your creations. How do you explain that?
The use of colour is very intuitive for me, there is not exactly a rational explanation. I see colour as a language that is part of my work, a way of creating contrast and highlight.
During the lockdown, I received several messages from people who bought my illustrations and said that the colours made them happier in that moment, of uncertainty, thanks to the cheerful colours in those works. They put them on their walls to have something cheerful around them. So I thought: “That’s it, this is one of the motivations for my work.” Not everything has to be explained from the beginning, there are things that are simply worthwhile because they exist. My illustrations exist in each person’s space and home.
How do you describe your work? What do your pieces “say” about you and the world?
I try to create different items, which give some focus and personality to the area where they are placed. I don’t want them to be the same or similar to those you see in most stores. I’m also not too interested in them matching what already exists; I prefer them to be the first thing people notice when they are in the same area as my work. I always try to create something unique, either in the products or in the illustrations I produce. I like it when someone sees an illustration of mine or another item and they say, “That’s by Teresa Rego.” The world is too beautiful and varied a place to do boring things.
Artists you most admire?
Josef Frank, Camille Walala, Kelly Anna, Yinka Ilori.
What are you working on now?
On various projects, most of them won’t see the light of day until 2022 or 2023. Without revealing too much, there will be collaborations with national and international clothing brands, and interventions in private spaces.
What haven’t you done yet that one day you’ll want to do?
So many things! Professionally, illustrating Christmas packaging for chocolates, tea… and interventions in large-scale spaces. In personal terms, it would be to take a trip to South America to experience all those colours and textures.
